In Praise of Sally Ride

As the mother of two very STEM-minded boys, I admit to sometimes feeling my panties getting all bunched up when I read about special opportunities for girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Education and Math) low cost opportunities, fun opportunities, networking opportunities. Why do the girls get the this kind of attention?

And then I see my son’s group at engineering camp has only two girls out of 16 students. I go to a Project Lead The Way meeting at school and see a room mostly crowded with boys.

Comments

Hi Kim,On a related note, I’ve had conversations with other parents – mothers- who told me that boys are better at math and girls are better writers. I obviously took issue with that, and it did lead to some interesting discussions (although I didn’t change her mind). I think these widespread assumptions lead to having two girls out of 16 at an engineering camp… I hope these gender biases start fading SOON!-Amy Ditzel

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About Kim

I’m a Chicago-area mom of teen boys who is passionate about sharing ideas and resources to raise kids who love Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). I’m a blogger, vlogger, baker and maker, as well as the founder of #STEMchat. I also write about parenting gifted kids, girls in STEM and the Maker Movement. [Read More...]